GREG SULLIVAN COLUMN: Getting my Antone right; Durfee football; and so much more

Tuesday

Apr 15, 2014 at 6:41 PMApr 16, 2014 at 9:49 PM

Durfee football coach hiring does not appear to be imminent; Higgins & Higgins; Salpietro hammering the ball at Fairfield; the case of the lost baseball

Greg SullivanHerald News Staff Reporter

Why did God make, or at least why does He allow, sports columns? To allow dopes like me to correct bonehead mistakes, that's why.

First of all, an apology goes to Diman Regional junior Brandon Antone, who slugged a solo home run in Monday’s baseball game at Durfee. In my game story, Brandon Antone did not get credit for the homer. It went to a teammate. But at least I kept the tater in the family. The story mistakenly said the homer was hit by Bryce Antone, Brandon’s twin brother. So maybe the entire Antone household is not upset with me.

BRANDON ANTONE HIT THE HOME RUN. There, that feels better.

------ The naming of the next Durfee High football coach may not happen until after next week’s school vacation. Durfee principal Paul Marshall said on Tuesday that he and Director of Athletics Victor Pereira still have a couple of out-of-town candidates to meet with before they send their recommendation or recommendations to Supt. of Schools Meg Mayo-Brown, who will make the ultimate decision. “I think it’s prudent to say it won’t be until after vacation,” Marshall said.

------ Since several people have asked about it, let it be known that Taylor Brown, a candidate for the Durfee job, is not the son of nor a relative of Mayo-Brown. Jake Brown, a former Hilltopper football player, is Mayo-Brown’s son.

------ Brandon Gomes finally hit a bump in the road. On Sunday at Cincinnati, he gave up three runs on four hits in one inning. Gomes previously had allowed two hits and zero runs in five relief appearances totaling 3-2/3 innings. Gomes was scheduled to get a start on Tuesday night at Baltimore, but that game was rained out. Gomes was to fill in for Jake Odorizzi (ill). Odorizzi apparently is feeling better and is scheduled to start Wednesday afternoon.

------ Swamp-Thing. A quarter of the way through Durfee’s baseball schedule and the Hilltoppers still cannot use their soggy baseball field. Their home opener – Monday against Diman – was played on the choppy and undulating junior varsity field. In that game, Diman right fielder Kyle Campanelli got smacked right in the middle of the forehead when he went to field on hard ground ball down the line. A tough cookie, Campanelli retrieved the ball and threw it to the cutoff man before leaving the game with the ball stitches engraved in his skin and little birdies chirping around his head.

------ A pair of local guys are ripping the baseball rather well for Division 1 Fairfield University. Sophomore Jake Salpietro, a Berkley resident and graduate of Somerset Berkley Regional, is batting .308 with four homers, nine doubles, and a by-far team-high RBI total of 27. An infielder, Salpietro has played and started in 29 of the Stags’ 30 games.

Sebastian Salvo of Fall River, a graduate of Tabor Academy, is a junior for Fairfield and he’s batting .324 with four doubles in 12 games (all started).

Salpietro and Salvo were Somerset American Legion Baseball teammates.

------ Higgins!!

------ The interesting play/ruling of the season thus far (this one might last for the whole season) came during the Westport at Bishop Connolly baseball game last week. With runners at second and third, Connolly pitcher Brian Quinn smothered a comeback grounder against his body. But as he turned to make the play at first base, he could not find the baseball. After a few seconds, he discovered the ball inside his button baseball jersey.

Umpires Dave Audet and Austin Brough put their squashes together and Audet announced the ruling. Both runners scored and the batter-runner got second base. Audet said the ball disappearing inside Quinn’s shirt meant it technically left the field of play. In other words it was akin to Quinn throwing the ball out of play. Two bases.

Audet between innings confessed to me he wasn’t quite 100 percent sure the call was right. But soon after the game, he texted to say he checked it out and the call was correcto.

Quinn said he did not know the point of entry for the ball getting inside his jersey.

------ Instead is reading about The Herald News’ BEST & BRIGHTEST contest winners later this spring and wishing you had nominated some young man or woman you know, why not take the time now to nominate some first-class male or female, age 16-21. There are nomination forms in the newspaper and on our website. You can even fill out the form online. Do it. Do it.

------ A gentleman at the Durfee-Diman baseball game stumped me with a Petticoat Junction quiz. He asked the professional name of the dog who played “Dog” on the show.

The answer: Higgins.

------ Is it just me who thinks that on Petticoat Junction Uncle Joe was stewed round the clock?

If bored email staff reporter Greg Sullivan at gsullivan@heraldnews.com. In twitter Village he’s @GregSullivanHN. (“Higgins!!” is a tribute to former Big East Conference basketball referee Tim Higgins, who was a favorite of the PC student fans.)